By the time Sunday's 24-14 loss to the Bills was over, Browns players were angry that the only late cheering came from Bills fans.

Keys to the game

Bills front wall: The Bills' formidable defensive line was as advertised. It helped bottle up Trent Richardon to 27 rushing yards on 12 carries. It sacked Brandon Weeden four times -- including on a crucial third down when the Browns needed 15 yards to get close enough for the game-tying field goal.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: Working out of a spread that kept the Browns in their nickel defense, the Bills' mobile QB burned the Browns for three touchdown passes, including on his first two drives. The Bills' multiple-receiver offense was too much for a defensive backfield struggling without shutdown corner Joe Haden.

Weeden’s misses: With the Browns trailing, 24-14, in the fourth quarter, Weeden threw interceptions on his final two drives to thwart any chances of a comeback. His first was intended for Josh Gordon, and his second was an ill-advised throw over the middle to Ben Watson. 

Slipping through fingers: The Browns had four drops and maybe five depending on who's counting. Gordon bobbled one on the opening drive and Mohamed Massaquoi, Greg Little, Trent Richardson and Travis Benjamin all had drops.

Missed opportunties: Gunslinger Weeden took his shots again, but is still struggling to hit the deep ball. On one to speedster Benjamin in the third quarter, he underthrew it. On another to Jordan Cameron, he threw a liner just out of reach at the right side of the end zone. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On a day when Browns stars of the past such as Jim Brown and Eric Metcalf were in the house for alumni weekend and the Legends ceremony, stars of the future such as Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson failed to keep their fans in the seats and prevent this fledging team from tumbling to 0-3.

By the time Sunday's 24-14 loss to the Bills was over, Browns players were angry that the only late cheering came from Bills fans, and rookie running back Richardson was getting a pep talk at his locker from coach Pat Shurmur.

The loss marked the Browns' ninth straight dating back to last season – the longest streak in the NFL. It also dropped them to 0-3, which is the kiss of death in the NFL. Since 1990, only three teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3. Trips to Baltimore and the New York Giants are next.

"Definitely [it's shocking]," said safety T.J. Ward. "I never thought we'd be 0-3. It feels terrible. It sucks, especially to lose your opening three. [But] we can't let it steamroll on us. We've got to try to stop the bleeding -- because we are bleeding right now."

Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, miffed that the Bills were able to whip up their large contingent into a frenzy at the end, spoke for many of his teammates when he said their game Thursday night in Baltimore can't come soon enough.

"I can't wait to get this nasty taste out of my mouth," said Jackson. "It stings right now, I'm not gonna lie. But we have a long season ahead, so we've got to move on from it."

The Browns -- who started slow in all phases and spotted Buffalo a 14-point first-quarter lead -- were unable to build on encouraging performances by Richardson and Weeden last week in Cincinnati, largely because of the Bills' formidable defensive line.

Weeden went 3-and-out on his first three drives, failed to hit the deep ball again, struggled to connect with his receivers and was the victim of about four dropped passes. He hit Travis Benjamin with a 22-yard TD pass that closed the gap to 17-14 in the third, but threw interceptions on his final two drives to thwart the comeback. He was sacked four times and finished with a 65.7 rating.

The Browns converted only three of their 11 third downs, and none of five in the first half.

"You can't be 0-for-5 [on third down] in the first half and expect to win games," said Weeden. "We've got to start faster and that's on us. You put yourself in a 14-0 hole, it's tough to dig out."

Richardson, who rushed for 109 yards last week, was limited to 27 on his 12 carries. His longest run was the 6-yard TD that pulled the Browns within 14-7 in the second. Jammed up the middle, he bounced it out to the left. Afterward, Shurmur encouraged him.

"He just told me don't get down on myself and that's strong coming from him," said Richardson, who met icon Brown after the game. "He told me, 'Hey, man. It's gonna be there. We're all heading in the right direction and just keep fighting.'"

While the Browns began with three fizzled drives, the Bills -- using three wideouts the entire game -- scored on their first two for a 14-0 lead with 5:06 left in the first quarter. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who scrambled efficiently and threw three TD passes, hit T.J. Graham with a 9-yard score on his opening drive after Buster Skrine let him run free.

"One of my teammates (Jackson) picked me," said Skrine.

Next time up, Fitzpatrick connected on a short screen to C.J. Spiller, who sprinted up the left sideline untouched for the 32-yard TD. Ward attributed it to a miscommunication with Jackson.

"We got caught on the same side and Spiller continued to run down the sideline," he said.

On the first play of their next drive, Spiller was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury when Usama Young fell on him after a catch. But the loss of Spiller -- the NFL's leading rusher -- proved no break for the Browns. Replacement Tashard Choice rolled over them for 91 yards.

"You hate to see a guy go down," said Jackson. "[Spiller] was screaming in pain so I was more so worried about 'is he going to be OK?' Choice came in and he did a good job, kept the momentum running for them. We gave up over 100 yards again today [138], and he had a lot to do with it."

Early in the second, the Browns had one of their many missed chances. The ball slipped out of Fitzpatrick's hand and Juqua Parker recovered the fumble. But because the referees originally ruled it an incompletion, the play was blown dead. The Browns challenged and won, but started at their 20.

"That could've been six," said Parker. "It could've been game-changing."

Weeden got rolling on Richardson's TD drive, completing passes of 24, 18 and 14 yards. But trailing, 14-7, a wide-open Greg Little dropped an open third-down pass near midfield at the end of the half to draw the wrath of Shurmur on the sidelines.

"I'm not looking for the next step, I'm looking for the touchdown," said Little. "I can't allow myself to do that."

Weeden missed a couple deep balls, not leading Benjamin enough once and overthrowing Jordan Cameron another time, but closed the gap to 17-14 when he found Benjamin for a 22-yard TD, the first of his career. Benjamin beat fellow rookie Stephon Gilmore on a post-corner route, separating when he slid back out.

"I knew I could make a move and get open," said Benjamin.

Early in the fourth, the Browns needed about 15 yards to position Phil Dawson for a tying field goal, but Weeden was sacked on third down when Mark Anderson burst past Joe Thomas. Buffalo produced the final margin when Stevie Johnson beat Dimitri Patterson on a nine-yard post.

"We gave him too much space and with a guy like that you have to get in his face," said Patterson. "I was in his face the entire game. It's a play I wish I could've made."

The Browns' final three drives were stymied by a holding call against Alex Mack and two interceptions of Weeden. On the first one, which emptied the seats with 4:21 left, Leodis McKelvin beat Josh Gordon to the ball. The second one, with 1:50 left, was a bad pass over the middle to Ben Watson. By then, only the Bills fans could be heard cheering.

"That [ticked] me off," said Little. "I take full responsibility for it happening. I think you can only blame the players on the field. We gotta do more to change that."

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